On Swirling Ashes
by AthanMortis
Summary: The major players are panicking. Their plans and machinations are going up in flames, and none know why. Meanwhile, as Buffy Summers arrives in Sunnydale, The One Who Sees laughs on the ashes of what would have been.
1. Welcome to the Hellmouth

**None of this belongs to me. The only thing I can claim is the plot. Sue me and… well, you get nothing. So there's not much point.**

* * *

Buffy Summers was not having a good first day at her new high school. First, as much as Principle Flutie had tried to act reassuring, she knew that he was going to be watching her, no matter what he said. Not that she was very surprised, what with her transcripts.

Thankfully she'd met a nice guy outside of the Principles office who helped pick up her things when she dropped them. What was his name again? Started with an X, oddly enough. Xavier, maybe?

Then she'd met Cordelia, who'd seemed nice and gave Buffy hope. Till she saw the brunette's encounter with the redheaded Willow, at least. After that vicious verbal attack she could pretty much guess what kind of girl Cordelia was. It brought up bad memories of the girl she herself used to be, before she'd had her eyes opened to the wider world outside of high school.

Last, but definitely not least, was the creepy librarian. All she'd wanted was a textbook or two, and instead he'd plopped down an ancient looking book on vampires. That definitely freaked her out more than a bit, and she'd been out of there in seconds.

Now it was lunch time, and she was wandering the quad till she spotted the person she wanted to talk to. She approached with a tentative smile. "Uh, hi. Willow, right?"

"Why?" Willow asked, looking surprised. "I mean, hi. Did you want me to move?"

Buffy almost winced at the reminder of Cordelia's vicious assault. "Why don't we start with 'Hi, I'm Buffy.'" She sat down next to the other girl and leaned forward slightly. "And then let's segue directly into me asking you for a favor. It doesn't involve moving, but it does involve you hanging out with me for a while."

Willow eyed Buffy, skeptical. "But aren't you… hanging with Cordelia?"

Buffy cocked her head slightly. "I can't do both?"

Willow shook her head rather emphatically. "Not legally."

"Look…" Buffy began seriously. "…I really want to get by here. New school… Cordelia's been really nice." She grimaced slightly. "To me, anyway." She got back on track. "But I have this burning desire to not flunk all my classes, and I heard a rumor that you were the person to talk to if I wanted to get caught up."

Willow began to look excited. "Oh, I could totally help you! If you have sixth period free we could meet in the library-"

Buffy quickly cut in, slightly panicked. "Or not. Or, you know, we could meet somewhere quieter." She seemed to realize what she said. "Louder. That place kind of gives me the wiggins."

Willow nodded in understanding. "It has that effect on most kids." She smiled, then. "I love it, though. It's a great collection, and the new librarian's really cool."

Buffy became more intense, a bad feeling building in her gut. "He's new?"

Willow nodded again, not noticing Buffy's distress. "Yeah, he just started. He was a curator of some British Museum. Or THE British Museum, I'm not sure. But he knows everything, and he brought all these historical volumes and biographies and am I the single dullest person alive?" She finished slightly despairing.

"Not at all!" Buffy said with forced cheerfulness. She blinked as somebody suddenly sat down on Willow's other side. She looked and saw that it was the guy who helped her pick up her books earlier.

"Hello there ladies. Are we interrupting anything?" He said, smiling at her. He stuck Buffy as a very cheerful person. He was gazing at her with interest, and she gazed back, studying him properly now.

He wore a white shirt covered by a sturdy black leather jacket that she was somewhat surprised he could wear without sweating like a pig considering the daytime temperature. He wore black jeans as well, also looking sturdy, with black, heavy boots. All in all, his clothes appeared to be more meant to last than be fashionable, though they didn't look bad.

The look in his eyes was what surprised her though. He appeared to be happier to see her than he would if he was just meeting her. It wasn't a lustful thing either. Simply odd.

Then someone else drew her attention. "Hey there." She turned to see another boy taking a seat on the ground by the bench, grinning at them. He had a somewhat narrow face topped by messy dark hair and with brown eyes.

Willow smiled and motioned to the boy sitting on the ground. "Buffy, these are my friends. This is Jesse…" Then she motioned to the boy beside her. "And this is Xander." Both boys waved as one more person stepped forward, standing by Xander.

"Not going to introduce your best gal pal, Wills?" The person said, a saucy smirk on her lips. Buffy looked at the new girl. She was very attractive, one would have to be blind not to see that, with flawless skin, dark eyes, and rich, brown hair that fell in ringlets down to her shoulders. She was dressed to show her athletic body off the best she could, to the point that Buffy would almost call her slutty, but not quite. She was standing with her arms crossed, observing Buffy back with interest.

Willow motioned to the girl, still smiling. "Buffy, this is Faith."

"Nice to meet you." Faith said, nodding. "Interesting name."

"Thanks." Buffy said, not sure if she was being mocked or not. She didn't think she was, but most people didn't say that sincerely. "Interesting accent. Boston?"

"Yep." Faith said, leaning against a railing. "Boston native, and proud of it."

Buffy looked around at the group. "Well, it's nice to meet you all."

Xander's smile grew. "Pleasure's all ours, Buffy. How are you finding our charming little slice of purgatory?"

Buffy shrugged. "It's a nice place, I guess. Very… clean."

Willow covered her mouth as she smiled while Jesse grinned openly and Xander and Faith both laughed. "Yeah, it's pretty dull. Nothing like L.A., I imagine." Xander said after he finished laughing. Then he pulled a stake out of his pocket, making Buffy's eyes widen. "By the way, meant to return this. You dropped it with the rest of your stuff." He looked at it oddly. "Only thing I can figure is you're building a really tiny fence."

Buffy tried to hide her panic as she took the stake from Xander. "Oh. No. It's for self-defense. Everyone has them in L.A. Pepper spray is so passe."

Xander leaned forward, smiling teasingly now. "So… What do you like, what do you do for fun, what do you look for in a man…?"

"Or woman." Faith cut in with an obviously over the top, playful leer which made Willow roll her eyes with a blush.

"Or woman." Xander nodded in agreement. "Come on, let's hear it."

Jesse leaned back onto his arms. "If you have any dark, painful secrets that we could publish…" He grinned.

"Gee, everybody wants to know about me. How… keen." Buffy said hesitantly.

"Well, not a lot happens in a small town like Sunnydale. You're big news." Xander said, somewhat soothingly.

"I'm not. Really." Buffy insisted.

Suddenly Cordelia appeared behind Jesse as if by magic. "Are these people bothering you?"

Fatih groaned. "Aw hell, it's the alpha bitch."

Cordelia glared at Faith. "Shut it, Slut-o-rama. Nobody's talking to you."

Buffy tried to head trouble off as Faith glared back. "Oh, no, it's fine."

Willow too appeared to want to diffuse the situation. "She's not hanging out with us."

Jesse got to his feet, smiling at Cordelia in what he clearly thought was a suave fashion. "Hey Cordelia." Even Buffy could tell he was clearly smitten.

Cordelia clearly knew it as well, as she rolled her eyes. "Oh please…" She turned back to Buffy. "I don't want to interrupt your downward mobility. I just thought I'd tell you that you won't be meeting Coach Foster, the woman with chest hair, because gym has been canceled due to the extreme dead guy in the locker."

The entire group appeared shocked at this piece of news, and even Faith stopped glaring.

"What?" Buffy asked, dread pooling once more in her stomach.

"What are you talking about?" Willow asked nervously.

"Some guy was stuffed in Aura's locker." Cordelia explained, though she still focused on Buffy, acting as through the others didn't exist.

"Dead?" Buffy asked for confirmation.

"Way dead." Was Cordelia's response.

"So not just a little dead then." Xander said blithely. Cordelia shot him a look.

"If you need a shoulder to cry on, or just nibble on…" Jesse asked Cordelia in what the others assumed was meant to be a supportive manner.

Buffy cut in, interrupting Jesse's somewhat pathetic display. "How did he die?"

"I don't know…" Cordelia said.

Xander asked the next question before Buffy could. "Well, were there any marks?"

Cordelia looked at him. "Morbid much? I didn't ask!"

Buffy got up, shifting nervously. "Uh, look, I gotta book. I'll see you guys later." She quickly took off, vaguely hearing Cordelia's 'What's her deal?' behind her.

* * *

Buffy stormed into the library. She'd just been to see the body and was more than slightly irritated by what she found. "Okay, what's the sitch?" She asked the room at large. She spotted the librarian, Giles, on the second floor and made her way over to him.

"Sorry?" He asked, puzzled.

"You heard about the dead guy, right? The dead guy in the locker?" She asked briskly.

"Yes…" He prompted.

"Well, it's the weirdest thing. He's got two little holes in his neck and all his blood's been drained. Isn't that bizarre? Aren't you just going, 'Ooooh…'?" She snarked, angry.

"I was afraid of this…" Giles sighed.

That made Buffy angrier. "Well I wasn't! It's my first day. I was afraid that I'd be behind in all my classes, that I wouldn't make any friends, that I'd have last month's hair. I didn't think there would be vampires on campus. And I DON'T CARE."

"Then why are you here?" Giles asked pointedly.

Buffy stopped, taken aback, before responding slightly unsurely. "To tell you that I don't care. Which I don't, and… have now told you. So bye." She turned and began to leave, irritated.

"Will he rise again?" Giles asked before she could leave the room.

She looked back. "Who?"

"The boy." He answered.

She shook her head. "No, he's just dead." She said shortly.

"Can you be sure?" He asked.

Buffy sighed before answering. "To make you a vampire they have to suck your blood and then you have to suck their blood, it's a whole big sucking thing. Mostly they'll just take all your blood and then you just die – why am I still talking to you?" She asked herself at the end

"You have no idea what's going on, do you?" He began, looking a bit agitated. "Do you think it's a coincidence, your coming here? That boy was just the beginning."

Buffy grit her teeth and turned away. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Because you are the Slayer." He responded solemnly, making her stop in her tracks. He moved down toward her, beginning to intone the words solemnly. "Into every generation a slayer is born. One girl, in all the world, a Chosen One. One born with the-"

"-strength and skill to hunt the vampires." She said with him before continuing on to finish. "To stop the spread of their evil blah blah blah I've HEARD it, okay?"

"You know, I've always considered that entire 'One alone in all the world' thing a crock of shit." Said a new voice from among the stacks. Both Buffy and Giles whirled around to stare in shock as Xander stepped into view holding a Trig book and with a raised eyebrow. He smirked at their looks. "You know, if you're going to have a conversation like this, you might want to make sure the room is empty first."

Both Buffy and Giles looked uncomfortable. "Ah, yes, well…" Giles coughed, obviously scrambling for something to say.

Xander raised a hand to stop him. "Before you try to give me some half assed excuse of a cover up, I'll just let you know that I'm well aware of the things that go bump in the night." He moved down the stairs to their level, setting his book down and chuckled softly as he looked at them.

Buffy blinked. "Uh, you do?"

Xander nodded. "Of course. Maybe it would help if I introduced myself properly. Alexander Harris, local hunter." He said with a bow and a grin.

Buffy was confused, but Giles was skeptical. "Excuse me young man, but are you trying to tell me that you're a hunter? At your age?"

Before Xander could answer Buffy cut in with her own question. "What do you mean, hunter? I'm assuming you're not talking about going out and hunting deer or something."

Xander shook his head. "No. This is why I say the whole 'one in all the world' Slayer thing is bullshit. Sure, there might be one girl that's given superpowers at a time, but she isn't the only one fighting." Seeing she was getting irritated he folded his arms across his chest. "A hunter, Buffy, is exactly that. They're people that, for one reason or another, have made it their mission to hunt vampires, demons and other nasties. Some do it for revenge, some for profit, there are even entire clans who pass the job down through the generations. And the ways they do it can be different as well. There are those that travel the world, looking into strange and unusual events, and others that settle down some place and carve out a territory the keep safe. Some use the old ways of swords and crossbows, others go in with full tactical gear and assault rifles. Some are selective, only going after those that have proven themselves threats, and there are the less discerning who go after anything not human, no matter what. There are thousands, if not millions of hunters throughout the world, all fighting the good fight, and I'm one of them."

Buffy gazed at him, surprised, but Giles cut in again. "You are a bit young to be a full hunter even if you're a member of a clan that does it generationally."

Xander shook his head. "I'm not part of a clan. I started off on my own. And I may be young, but I'm experienced. I've been at this for four years now." Seeing how Buffy was about to ask how that could be counted all that experienced, Xander preemptively answered her. "The average life expectancy of a self-employed and taught hunter is approximately two years at best, according to my sources."

Buffy glanced at Giles for confirmation, prompting him to nod. "Indeed, that is about average for someone without a patron or any other kind of support. To last four years at your age is astounding. Why would a twelve year old start hunting vampires, though?"

Xander looked amused. "You don't know where you are, do you? Sunnydale is a Hellmouth. And yes, the name is pretty literal." He told Buffy before she could ask. "You know how many kids I went to kindergarten with survived to reach high school? Less than fifty percent. This place is crawling with vamps and other monsters. There are a few that just want to make a living and keep their head down, but a lot more are the 'take babies from their cribs for a snack' nasty. I became aware of things at ten and prepared for two years before beginning hunting. I'm determined to make sure nothing happens to my loved ones."

Buffy's brow furrowed. "The others, Jesse, Faith and Willow. Do they know?"

"Faith does." Xander said. "I helped her out once. It's how we met. She backs me up on occasion if I need it. The others don't though, not yet. They will soon enough, I'm sure, but for now, ignorance is bliss."

Buffy hunched her shoulders. "Are you going to try and get me to go back into slaying like him?" She jerked her thumb at Giles.

Xander shrugged. "I won't say some super powered help wouldn't be nice, but I can't force you." He stepped forward as she relaxed slightly. "I will say one thing, though."

"Oh, and what's that?" Buffy asked.

"You'll get back in on your own." Buffy frowned at that, and he continued. "You're not the type to not do something when it could save somebody's life. When you're willing to do some ass kicking, let me know, and I'll introduce you to my contacts and assistants." He picked his book back up and held it up to Giles. "So, can I check this out?" Giles eyed Xander speculatively but nodded, helping the young man check the book out. Xander waved cheekily at them before leaving. Buffy headed out shortly afterward, deep in thought, leaving Giles behind to clean his glasses.

* * *

That night, Buffy arrived at the Bronze still irritated by her encounter with the dark stranger who gave her a necklace with a cross on it. At least she'd apparently confirmed what Xander said about Sunnydale being a Hellmouth. Though now she couldn't help but wonder what the hell 'The Harvest' was supposed to be.

She shook her head, putting it out of her mind as she entered the club. She wandered around as she heard the band sing, deciding they weren't bad. She wandered around till she bumped into Willow and smiled. "Hi!"

Willow jumped before turning to Buffy. "Oh, hi!"

"Are you here with someone?" Buffy asked.

Willow shrugged. "No, I'm just here. I thought Xander was going to show up…" The muttered sadly.

Buffy frowned briefly at Xander's name, still not sure what to think of him after what happened that afternoon, but quickly smiled again. "Oh, are you guys going out?"

Willow shook her head. "No, no. We're just friends. We used to go out, but we broke up."

"Oh? How come?" Buffy asked with interest.

"He stole my Barbie." At Buffy's look she explained. "We were five."

"Oh." Buffy said, bemused.

"I don't actually date a whole lot… lately." Willow said sheepishly.

Buffy cocked an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Well, when I'm with a boy I like, it's hard for me to say anything cool, or witty, or at all… I can usually make a few vowel sounds, and then I have to go away." She babbled in explanation.

Buffy laughed, amused by her new friend. "It's not that bad."

"It is." Willow said seriously. "I think boys are more interested in a girl that can talk."

Buffy looked at Willow, a bit surprised. "You really haven't been dating lately…"

Willow huffed slightly. "It's probably easy for you."

"Oh yeah… Real easy…" Buffy said forlornly.

Willow didn't seem to notice. "I mean, you don't seem too shy."

"Well, my philosophy is- do you want to hear my philosophy?" Buffy asked.

Willow nodded quickly. "I do."

"Life is short." Buffy stated simply.

"Life is short…" Willow repeated, considering it.

"Not original, I'll grant you. But it's true. Why waste time being all shy? Why worry about some guy and if he's gonna laugh at you, you know? Seize the moment. 'Cause tomorrow you might be dead." Buffy explained.

"Oh, that… nice…" Willow said uncertainly as Buffy glanced up at the balcony, spotting somebody that makes her furrow her brow.

"Uh, I'll be right back." Buffy said.

"It's okay, you don't have to come back." Willow said reassuringly.

Buffy smiled at her. "I'll be back in a minute." She promised before moving off, leaving Willow alone.

"Seize the moment…" The redhead whispered to herself.

Buffy reached the top of the balcony and walked over to where Giles was leaning against the railing, looking over the teens dancing to the band. "So, you like to party with the students? Isn't that kind of skanky?"

The older man shot her a withering look and responded acerbically. "Right, this is me having fun." He looked out on the stage. "Watching clown-hair prance about is hardly my idea of a party. I'd much prefer to be home with a cup of Bovril and a good book." He didn't give Buffy any time to say something snarky before he continued. "This is a perfect breeding ground for vampire activity. Dark, crowded… Besides, I knew you were likely to show up. And I have to make you understand-"

"That the Harvest is coming." Buffy cut in, annoyed. "I know, your friend told me."

Giles turned to her, completely thrown. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Buffy looked at him, slightly surprised by his reaction. "The Harvest. That mean something to you? Cause I'm drawing a blank."

Giles looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure…" He turned back to Buffy. "Who told you this?"

Buffy shrugged a bit unsurely. "This guy. Dark, gorgeous in an annoying sort of way. I figured you were buds."

Giles shook his head with certainty. "No… The Harvest…" He looked away musingly before turning back to Buffy. "Did he say anything else?"

"All he did was confirm what Xander said about this being the mouth of Hell." She folded her arms under her breasts, frowning. "Maybe I can ask Xander if he knows him. Cause I really didn't like him."

Both of them went silent as they watched the kids on the dance floor enjoy themselves, completely uncaring. "Look at them." Giles finally said, a bit judgementally. "Throwing themselves about… Completely unaware of the danger that surrounds them."

"Lucky them…" Buffy said a bit mournfully.

"Or perhaps you're right." Giles said, somewhat sarcastically. "Perhaps there is no trouble coming. The signs could be wrong." He looked at Buffy. "It's not as though you're having the nightmares…"

Buffy was shaken by the mention of nightmares, remembering the one she'd had that morning, where it appeared some ancient looking monster was gazing back at her. She tried to explain herself further, hoping to finally dissuade Giles. "Look, I didn't say I'd never slay another vampire. I'm just not gonna get way extracurricular with it. If I run into one, sure…"

"But will you be ready?" Giles interrupted. "There's so much you don't know, about them and about your own powers. A vampire appears to be a normal person, until the feed is upon them. Only then do they reveal their true demonic visage." He explained tensely.

"You're like a textbook with arms!" Buffy cried with irritation. "I know this!"

"The point is, a Slayer should be able to see them anyway. Without looking, without thinking." He turned back towards the floor. "Can you tell me if there's a vampire in this building?"

Buffy looked unsure. "Maybe…?"

"You should know!" Giles practically barked. "Even through this mass and this din you should be able to sense them. Try. Reach out with your mind." He watched as buffy looked down at the teens below, brow furrowed. "You have to hone your senses, focus until the energy washes over you, till you can feel every particle of-"

"There's one." Buffy said, making Giles stop abruptly, completely nonplussed.

"What? Where?" He asked in surprise.

Buffy pointed below. "Down there. Talking to that girl."

He looked down, spotting a young man speaking to a girl standing in shadow. "But you don't know-"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Oh please. Look at his jacket. He's got the sleeves rolled up. And the shirt… Deal with that outfit for a moment."

"It's dated?" Giles asked, unsure.

"It's carbon dated!" Buffy retorted. "Trust me, only someone who's been living underground for ten years would think that was the look."

"B-but, you didn't hone…" Giles said plaintively, only to be completely ignored by Buffy once she noticed something.

"Oh no…" The blonde said quietly, seeing that the person the vampire was talking to was Willow.

Giles spotted them too. "Isn't that…?"

"Willow." Buffy confirmed.

"What is she doing?" He asked with some alarm as he saw them begin to move off.

Buffy became grim as she moved towards the stairs. "Seizing the moment." She quickly moved down to where Willow had been, but found no sign of her or the vampire. She moved backstage and, spotting an old chair, broke a leg off to make herself a makeshift stake. She poked her head out of the exit door nearby, but no one was in the alley. Panic beginning to set in she started making her way back to the main door.

She had just turned the corner when suddenly she was grabbed. Without thinking she grabbed her assailant and threw them up against the wall, holding them two feet off the ground. She lifted her stake, about to plunge it into… Cordelia, who was gaping at her in shock.

"Cordelia!" Buffy yelped.

"Excuse me…" Cordelia began, somehow acting like she wasn't about to be killed with a pointy stick. "Could you be any weirder? Is there any more weirdness that you could have?" Buffy slowly let Cordelia down, lowering her stake. The popular girl stepped back and glared at the petite blond. "God, what is your childhood trauma!?"

Buffy put on a cheerful face, trying desperately to act as though the last thirty seconds hadn't happened. "Did you guys see Willow? Did she come by here?"

"Why? Did you need to attack her with a stick?" Cordelia snarked.

Buffy, red faced, gave it up and moved away to continue her search. Back inside the club she bumped back into Giles.

"That was fast." He said approvingly. "Well done. I'd best go to the library. This 'Harvest' is-"

"I didn't find them." She cut in, frustrated.

"The vampire's not dead?" He asked, astonished.

"No, but my social life is on the critical list." She said pithily as she continued looking around the club.

Giles looked unsure. "What do we do?"

"You go on." Buffy said. "I'll take care of it."

"I should come with you, no?" Giles asked tentatively.

Buffy began to head back out. "Don't worry. One vampire I can handle." She brushed passed Jesse, who was chatting a girl up, without noticing.

Jesse was trying desperately to act suave and cool. "So, what did you say your name was?"

The blond girl smiled at him. "Darla."

"Darla..." He said, nodding to himself. "I haven't seen you around before. Are you from around here?"

Darla shook her head, still smiling. "No, but I've got family here."

Jesse opened his mouth to continue talking, but someone grabbed his shoulder. "Excuse us." Faith said before she dragged Jesse away.

Jesse managed to wrench his shoulder from her grasp before practically whining. "Faaaith, what the hell? I was finally getting somewhere with a hot chick and you ruined it. Do you enjoy fucking things up for me or something?"

"Yes." Faith said with a smirk before continuing a bit more seriously. "Trust me, that's not the type of girl you want. Anyway, I need your help."

Jesse raised an incredulous eyebrow. "With what?"

"I can't find Willow, and X asked me to keep an eye on her. Help me look?" Faith asked.

Jesse looked longingly back at where Darla was sitting, now chatting to somebody new, but sighed. "Yeah, alright. But where should we look?"

Outside of the Bronze, Buffy exited from the back, searching around for Willow. As she did Xander approached her. "Hey there. Leaving already?"

She turned and shelved the slight trepidation she still felt around him, figuring this to be more important. "Xander, have you seen Willow?"

"Not so far tonight. Why?" He asked, still smiling.

"I need to find her." She said nervously. "She left with a guy."

The smile slid off of Xander's face before he looked at her seriously. "Normally I'd be happy that Willow is finally coming out of her shell, but I'm assuming by the look on your face this guy isn't somebody I want her around?"

Buffy shook her head. "He's a vampire. I don't know where he took her."

Xander cursed. "Dammit, I specifically asked Faith to make sure something like this didn't happen." He looked up and spotted said girl exiting the club with Jesse. "Faith!" He called, making the brunette turn and head toward him, Jesse in tow.

"Hey X." Glancing around for Willow.

Xander sighed. "Faith, I asked you to keep an eye on Willow in case of any 'unsavory' types trying to get to her."

The Boston native crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. "To be fair, boss man, you said to do the same thing with Jesse."

"What?" Jesse squawked indignantly.

Faith continued, ignoring him. "I had to pull him away from the blonde skank you warned me about and lost track of Wills while I was at it."

Xander sighed. "Alright, thanks Faith. You did as I asked and I can't expect more from you. But now Willow's in trouble."

Jesse looked worried now. "What do you mean, in trouble?"

Xander shook his head at his friend. "I'll explain later. Right now you just need to know some asshole has taken her, and he doesn't have nice intentions." He turned and began walking. "Come on."

Faith and Jesse followed him, as did Buffy after a brief hesitation.

Before long they arrived in a cemetery, and followed the sound of voices to a mausoleum. Buffy palmed her stake, ready for action, and noticed that Xander had a hand in his coat, holding something, while Faith also had a stake in her hand. Jesse just looked confused. The confusion lifted when they all heard Willow scream and rushed in, Buffy and Xander first.

Buffy attracted the attention of the two vampires that were surrounding Willow and some random teen boy first. "Well, this is nice."

As the vamps turned to her Xander chimed in. "I don't know… Seems a bit bare to me."

Buffy turn to him in mock seriousness. "Well it just gives it potential! Just think, a little dash of paint, some throw pillows… It could be called a home."

"Who the hell are you?" Darla asked angrily, still with her inhuman face on.

"I'm surprised you don't already know. A bunch of other people already seem to. Nice to know I can still somewhat keep a secret identity." Buffy said blithely.

Xander rolled his eyes. "I've been doing it for years, sometimes it seems like it's more of a pain than it's worth." He glanced at Faith and Jesse. "You two, get Willow and the other guy out of here while me and Buffy deal with the uglies."

The male vamp's eyes narrowed. "Who are you calling uglies?"

Xander glanced at him. "Well, you're a nobody, so who cares." Then he gazed at Darla. "You, on the other hand, are Darla. Childe of The Master, Sire of Angelus, member of the Scourge of Europe."

Darla looked surprised, while Buffy glanced at him. "You're well informed for a boy, aren't you?" The vampire said.

Xander smiled. "I keep up to date on threats in my territory."

Buffy shook her head, stake in hand. "Alright, now we can do this the hard way, or…" She cocked her head. "Well, actually, there's just the hard way."

Darla glared at them. "Fine by me."

Buffy gave a look of wide eyed innocence. "You sure? It's not gonna be pretty. We're talking violence, strong language, adult content…"

The male vampire suddenly rushed forward, but Buffy simply stuck her stake out behind her without looking, letting him impale himself on it. He fell back in burst into dust, much to the shock of Willow and Jesse. Faith simply raised an eyebrow, impressed in spite of herself.

"Nice job." Xander said as he saw Darla, wide eyed, warily moving, getting ready to fight. "Ah ah ah, no sudden moves." To the surprise of most there, he pulled a water pistol out of his coat and aimed it at Darla.

Darla eyed him like he was an idiot. "Seriously? What's that supposed to do?"

Xander bared his teeth in a grin. "You'll see." He addressed Faith and Jesse. "Guys, like I said, get Willow and the other guy and get out of here."

The two moved around to help Willow hold up the boy Darla had snared, who had lost so much blood he was barely conscious, as said vampire watched. "Don't go far." She said tauntingly.

Jesse gulped, but Faith shook her head at him. "Ignore the bitch. She'll be dust soon anyway."

Darla sneered at her. "You sound sure of that."

Faith smirked at her. "Yeah, I am. X will deal with you." She moved out of the mausoleum with the others, leaving Buffy, Xander and Darla.

"You should probably go with them." Buffy said to Xander as she kept her eyes on Darla.

Xander kept his water gun aimed at the vampire. "Faith will take care of them. I'd rather make sure this one doesn't get away to cause more trouble down the road."

"I'll show you trouble." Darla launched herself at Buffy, but Xander, ready for her, shot her in the face with the water gun. Buffy was surprised when the vampire recoiled, screaming as her face burned, but she wasn't going to let an opportunity go to waste, and launched herself at her, stake leading.

Darla barely avoided getting dusted, throwing herself back and landing on her back. When Buffy tried again she dodged again by rolling over, still reeling from the pain. Unfortunately for her she rolled right into Xander, who brought his boot down on her neck. She writhed in pain, her durability only barely protecting her throat from being completely crushed. "Who… you…?" She gasped, looking up at them.

Xander palmed a stake. "It's not going to matter to you for much longer..."

He got ready to bring the stake down as Buffy watched when a new voice interrupted. "I wouldn't do that, boy."

Buffy turned quickly at the voice behind her, only to gasp as two large, strong hands wrapped around her throat and lifted her off the ground.

Xander stayed in position as the new vampire looked at him. The vamp continued. "Stake one of my master's favorites, and I will snap this girl's neck like a twig."

"L-Luke…" Darla said as she moved to get up before Xander aimed his water gun at her mouth and shot its contents down her throat, making her cry out and clutch at her neck. "Stay down, bitch, I'll deal with you in a moment."

Luke snarled and tightened his hold on buffy, who began to choke. "Get up and away from her, boy."

Xander appeared to consider it. "How about… no?"

"You have no idea what you're dealing with, do you, boy?" Luke then began to recite some sort of prophecy. "And like a plague of boils, the race of Man covered the earth. But on the third day of the newest light will come the Harvest, when the blood of men will flow as wine, when the Master will walk among them once more, the world will belong to the Old Ones, and Hell itself will come down…" Luke grinned at them. "…Amen."

Xander glared and dropped his spent water gun. "Well, you don't know what you're dealing with either, buddy. I'm Xander Fucking Harris, and you'll need to go through me if you want to bring that Master of yours back. So…" He grabbed something else out of his jacket and flicked his thumb, causing sparks to shoot out, making a small fire begin in his hand. He winced slightly but proceeded to throw the object at Luke. "Think fast!"

Luke was caught by surprise and the object broke against him, showing that it looked like a paintball. The paintball, however, was full of something that burst into flames. Luke let Buffy go in surprise, patting himself to try to put out the fire, and Xander quickly staked Darla while he had the chance, making her turn to dust. He then quickly grabbed an out of breath Buffy and pulled her out of the mausoleum. "Move, move!"

Buffy stumbled along behind him as they heard Luke roar out in rage behind them.

* * *

 ** _Hello all! Welcome to my latest fic. It's partially inspired by dogbertcarroll's amazing fics, where he looks at things from interesting angles and comes up with unique solutions to problems. My Xander is going to be something like some interpretations of his, having a talent in talismans and ritual enchanting._**

 ** _So, things have already changed dramatically from canon. Darla is dead, for one. That's going to change a lot of things going forward. And Faith is already a member of the group and somewhat of a hunter due to being Xander's assistant/backup. Now, the whys for the changes I've made will be revealed in time, though not before too long. Though I'm sure it shouldn't be too hard to guess what caused it._**

 ** _I know Xander seems amazing right now, being a hunter since he was fucking twelve, but while he's meant to be pretty cool, he's mostly survived by being tricky and somewhat underhanded. A necessity when dealing with enemies that could break him like a twig._**

 ** _One thing I want to make clear though. I'm not super familiar with Buffy beyond the big plot beats and some of the more well known things, like Halloween. Most of my knowledge comes from Buffy fics I read. I actually rewatched the first episode before writing this (oh, the cringe), and had the script open in another window to reference. Much of this chapter is almost completely lifted from the script, as not much has changed. But going forward, as more changes are made, the scripts will be used mostly as reminders of what happened in given episodes._**

 ** _I don't think I have anything else to say. Any questions, let me know. Please review. Bye._**


	2. Harvest

Faith led Willow, Jesse, and Darla's stumbling victim as they rushed away from the mausoleum. In her hand she clutched three delicate vials full of water she usually kept in a special pocket of her coat just in case.

"Faith, wha- what's going on?" Willow panted as she helped Jesse drag the boy's almost dead weight along. The teen was stumbling, his eyes rolling, blood trickling from puncture wounds in his neck.

"Not the time for explanations, Wills." Faith said, tense as she continued her fast pace. She stopped suddenly when three vampires came out of the darkness, their game faces on. Willow gasped and Jesse swore as they stopped, looking frightened.

The only female of the vamps smirked as she leered at them. "Now, now, don't make this harder than it has to be…"

Without warning Faith launched one of the vials at the vamp's face, making it shatter and cover her skin with water. The vamp began to scream loudly as she backed away, her face literally smoking as her skin burned.

The other two vampires hesitated before one of them launched himself at Faith, mouth open and ready to bite. Faith launched another vial, but he dodged and grabbed her arm, snarling as she punched him in the face. The vamp yelped in surprise as the small cross etched into a ring on her finger made contact when she punched him. Then Jesse pounced on him, grabbing him in an amateurish headlock as he tried to pull him away from Faith.

The last vamp finally got over his surprise and decided to go for the easy prey, stalking towards Willow and her burden, who had been laid on the ground, as she couldn't hold him on her own. He grinned malevolently, exposing his fangs as Willow scrambled to get away. He reached out to her, but his head snapped back and he was sent flying by a kick from Buffy, who had appeared out of seemingly nowhere to help the redhead.

The female had finally stopped shrieking, opening her burned eyes with fury in her heart, ready to get revenge on the little bitch who threw holy water in her face. Her rage didn't last long, as she felt a pain in her chest. She looked down to find a stake impaled into her, looking back up to have Xander glaring at her as the list sight of her unlife.

The vamp attacking Faith finally let go of her and reached around to grab Jesse, throwing him away from him. Then he turned back to Faith, mouth open to try to bite her again. He was caught by surprise when she slammed her last vail into his mouth and uppercutted his chin, making him close his mouth with the crunching sound of breaking glass, the holy water burning his mouth as the shards of glass cut him, making him scream as he fell back. He was promptly staked from both the front and behind as Buffy and Xander attacked him at the same time, making him turn to dust.

Buffy looked around for the vamp she'd sent flying but saw that he was gone. Sighing as she felt the adrenaline leave her system she looked at the group. "Everyone alright?"

Jesse groaned as he got up from where he'd been laying after being thrown. "Just… peachy."

Willow sat down with a thump. "I… uh… um… yes?"

Dead Weight just moaned.

Faith rubbed her arm. "Good timing, guys."

Buffy sighed in relief as Xander went over to Dead Weight and slapped some band aids on his wounds. "Well, good." She looked around. "Soo… now what?"

* * *

The next morning Buffy was making her way to the address Xander gave her. Rather than meet at school, he wanted them to meet at his house, Giles included. When Willow expressed worry about skipping school, he'd assured her he'd take care of it.

"Buffy!" She heard someone call out. She looked at the other side of the street to find Willow and Jesse making their way over to her. "Good morning."

"Hey Willow, Jesse." Buffy said with a small smile. "Are you guys doing better after last night?"

Jesse scratched the back of his head. "Kinda? I mean, I couldn't sleep last night after everything that happened. I'm not even sure it really happened. Seems like a weird nightmare I had after eating bad Mexican food."

Willow rubbed her arm, biting her lip. "Same here. I hope that we'll get an explanation. I mean… it couldn't have been what it looked like… right?"

Buffy sighed, remembering when she'd had her innocence shattered. "I promise you'll get explanations soon." The other two nodded and resumed walking, prompting her to ask something she'd been wondering. "By the way, why did Xander want us to meet at his house instead of the library at school?"

"Privacy, probably." Jesse said.

Buffy cocked her head to the side. "Wouldn't the library be better for that? We wouldn't have to worry about dealing with his family." She didn't miss the dark look Willow and Jesse gave each other. "What?"

Willow sighed. "Buffy, Xander's parents… they aren't good people."

The blonde felt her heart sink. "How bad are we talking?"

Jesse clenched a fist briefly. "Bad enough that Xander got them arrested for neglect and abuse."

Buffy's eyebrows rose. "Oh… So, who is he living with now? A foster family?"

They shook their heads. "He never told us how he did it, but somehow he got emancipated and has his own house." Willow said. "It was a relief, because we were worried he might have to move away or something. He doesn't live alone, though. Faith lives with him now." She grimaced. "Her circumstances are similar to Xander's, so she doesn't have parents around either."

Beuffy frowned. "I see…" Making a mental note to give her mom an extra tight hug later she continued following them to Xander's house.

They arrived before long. It was a nice house, a bit bigger than the one Buffy and her mother had just moved into. The lawn was well mowed, and there were some nice hedges. The house itself was painted sky blue with a white roof and trimming.

"Nice place." Buffy said.

Willow made a noise of agreement and reached for the doorbell, stopping when a positively ancient grey car came to a stop in front of the house. The three teens stared as the door opened and Giles stepped out. He looked up, pushing up his glasses briefly. "Ah, good morning."

"Morning." Buffy said, still eyeing the car. "I think you need to ask for a raise, Giles."

"What?" he asked, confused. Buffy pointed at the car. He looked at it before turning back to them. "What's wrong with my car?"

Jesse scratched his cheek. "Well, I'd be surprised if it went above fifty, for one…"

Giles frowned. "It's a classic!"

The teens glanced at each other before collectively agreeing to let it go for now. Willow reached over and rang the doorbell. They waited patiently for the door to open, Giles joining them in front of it. They were all, even Willow and Jesse, surprised by the person who opened the door.

She was a very pretty girl, apparently in her late teens. She stood at about Jesse's height, though she wore heels to reach that. She was curvy in ways that instantly made Buffy and Willow feel inadequate, something emphasized by the fact that she was wearing a slightly racy maid outfit with a skirt that reached halfway to her knees and a top that showed off quite a bit of cleavage much to Jesse's delight.

Of course, that was all secondary to the four at the door. The main thing that drew their attention was the fact that the girl had hot pink skin, purple eyes, and small horns poking out of curly hair a slightly darker pink than her skin.

The girl looked delighted to see them, smiling widely enough to reveal slightly pointed teeth. "Good morning!" She said in a bubbly voice. "Oh, I'm so happy I can finally be introduced to you, Miss Willow, Mister Jesse! I've been waiting for this moment for a while now."

"Uuuh…" Willow said, blinking in shock. "Hi?"

The pink maid then looked at the equally surprised Buffy and Giles. "And you must be the new Slayer, Miss Buffy, and her Watcher, Mister Giles."

"Ah, yes." Giles said slowly. "Forgive me, but I wasn't expecting a Murr demon in a hunter's home…"

"Demon!?" Willow squeaked as Buffy tensed. Jesse managed to pull himself away from staring at her chest at that.

The demon waved it off. "No worries, sir. I've worked for Master Xander and Mistress Faith for years. I've just needed to hide whenever their friends come over." She smiled wider. "It's so nice to not have to do that." Then she blinked. "Oh, where are my manners." She curtsied. "I'm Nuble, the maid of this house." She stepped back, wordlessly allowing them in, still smiling happily.

The four stepped into the house, Buffy and Giles noting it was clean and well decorated, something Giles especially hadn't been expecting from a couple of teenagers living on their own. That didn't mean there weren't telltale signs, like the enormous TV in the living room with game consoles hooked up and a shelf full of movies ready to be watched.

"Please, have a seat while I get you all some refreshments." Nuble said. Willow and Jesse led the way to the couches as the maid headed into the kitchen.

Once she was gone Buffy turned to Giles, hissing quietly. "Alright Giles, any idea what her weaknesses are?"

Giles took his glasses off and began cleaning them. "There's nothing to worry about, Buffy. Yes, I was surprised that a hunter would have a demonic maid, but she is of a race called Murr. They are very servile demons who enjoy working, much like the brownies of Scottish legend, though they don't hide themselves away from those they serve. She is no danger to anyone unless they threaten her masters or their household. As long as we are here with no hostile intentions we have nothing to worry about."

Buffy relaxed. "Oh, ok…"

Willow shook her head. "She said she's worked here for years, but we never knew…" She bit her lip as Jesse laid a hand on her shoulder. He knew what she was thinking. If he was hiding this from them, what else didn't they know about their best friend since childhood?

Buffy looked up when she heard something making its way down the stairs. She turned and saw a gold and cream furred dog of a breed she didn't recognize making its way towards them, tongue lolling out as it gave them a doggy grin. It moved to Willow, who smiled and gave it some scratches behind the ears as it sat down to eye Buffy and Giles.

"Hi?" Buffy said, waving a bit, halfway expecting the dog to start talking.

"That's Hope." Jesse said as he watched the dog enjoy being pampered. "Xander got her for Faith a couple of years ago."

"Hello Hope." Buffy said with a smile as the dog tilted her head slightly as she studied the Slayer. "What breed is she?"

"Shiba Inu, if I'm not mistaken." Giles said as he sat back in the recliner he'd taken. "It's a Japanese breed. Very affectionate and loyal to their family and friends, though standoffish to strangers. Bred for hunting, and one of the dog breeds closest to wolves in the world." At the teens' looks he shrugged. "I've learned many bits of trivia in preparation to be a Watcher. One never knows what might be of use."

Nuble walked back into the room with a tray full of coffee and tea. "Here you are." She handed the tea to Giles, who took it with a grateful nod, sipping it with satisfaction.

As the maid served coffee to the teens Willow looked up at her, still trying to wrap her head around a demonic maid. "Umm, where are Faith and Xander?"

"They are changing after finishing their daily workout, Miss Willow." Nuble said. "You are a bit earlier than they expected, so they weren't prepared. They'll be down soon."

"Like now." Faith said as she came down the stairs clad in jeans and a tank top that exposed toned arms. "Hey guys. I see ya met Nuble." She sat down on one of the free seats as her dog padded over to lay her head on the dark haired girl's lap, prompting an ear scratch. The pink girl handed her mistress a coffee, which Faith took eagerly, taking a long sip. "Mmm, perfect as always, boo."

"Thank you, mistress." The maid said with a smile.

"Yeah. Why didn't you tell us about her, exactly?" Jesse said as he focused on his drink to keep from staring at the girl anymore.

"You didn't know about supernatural stuff till last night." Faith said with a shrug. "So we told her to hide when you came over."

"And why is she dressed like that?" Willow asked with a small frown. She figured the answer was simply the two of them being hormonal teens, but that didn't keep her from glancing at the demon's chest with envy.

"Actually, she dressed like that all on her own on the first day of the job. Though we didn't try really hard to convince her not to." Faith admitted.

Giles took another sip of tea. "I'm curious as to how you ended up with a Murr as a maid. They are relatively rare, after all."

Xander came down the stairs now, dressed similarly to Faith. Buffy eyed him with a bit of interest, seeing that his coat he'd been wearing when she saw him before had hidden strong arms packed with compact muscle. He had several scars that she could see, which wasn't surprising if he spent his time killing vampires.

"We met her a couple of years ago. A group of Malkavian slavers were passing through, and she was among the 'merchandise'. Me and Faith took offense to that, and we busted the slaves out." He sat down next to his roommate and gratefully took the coffee the subject of the conversation offered him. "After the Malkavians were taken out, Nuble asked to work for us to repay us, since she didn't really have anyplace else to go. We decided we might as well. She gets a job and a place to stay, we get someone to take care of the house. Win-win." He took a sip of his coffee before looking at Jesse and Willow seriously. "Now, how are you two coping?"

Jesse rubbed his arm before sighing. "What do you want me to say, man? I'm still not really sure what happened last night."

Xander nodded somberly. "Yeah, I get it man. I remember how jarring it was when I learned everything. I'll explain as best I can."

What followed was a fifteen minute long explanation about vampires, demons, and magic, including the true origins of the world, the greater demons that had left, and other related details. Xander did most of the talking, with Faith cutting in occasionally, as Giles and Buffy watched and listened. Some things were even news to Buffy, as they were things Merrick hadn't been able to get around to teaching her before his death.

By the time the explanation was over, Jesse and Willow simply sat, deep in thought. Faith leaned forward. "You guys alright?"

Willow looked up, seeming dazed. "I… I need to sit down."

Buffy quirked an eyebrow. "You are sitting down."

"Oh… Good for me…" Willow said, still dazed.

"Jesse?" Xander asked.

Jesse turned to look at Xander, a glare on his face. "Why?"

Xander sighed, knowing what was coming. "Why what?"

"Why didn't you tell us you were going out and trying to kill yourself fighting monsters since you were twelve, goddammit!" Jesse snapped at his best friend.

Xander shook his head. "I couldn't."

"The fuck do you mean, you couldn't!?" Jesse growled.

"Jesse, I've survived this long because I had help, but some of that help comes with restrictions." Xander explained patiently.

"What do you mean?" Giles asked, speaking for the first time in a while as Nuble refilled his tea, looking happy to have more work to do.

Xander rubbed his left eye. "I've got access to a pretty powerful precog. Thanks to them I've managed to head off some trouble, and prepare for the future. For example, they told me that the latest Slayer was going to be coming to Sunnydale."

Buffy blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah. I was really happy to see you yesterday." Xander said with a crooked grin which promptly slid off his face. "But one of the stipulations from the god that gives my precog friend his information is that I can't tell my friends about the supernatural until they find out for themselves. I do, I get turned to ash."

"Why?" Willow asked.

Xander rolled his eyes. "Because this way entertains him more." At the group's looks he shrugged. "What can I say? Gods can be assholes."

"Yes, that is usually the case…" Giles said slowly.

"Okay, but then what makes Faith the exception?" Jesse asked, no longer as aggressive but still obviously displeased.

"Two things." Xander said, holding up a couple of fingers. "The first is pretty basic. When we met, we weren't friends. The rule explicitly states I can't tell my friends. So that was covered. The other is that we met through my dealing with one of the things the precog warned me about for the future. So the supernatural was involved in our meeting. She's known about it since the first time we met."

Jesse crossed his arms and sighed. "Alright… I guess that makes sense…"

A bit of tension left Xander's frame at that, and he smiled. "For what it's worth, I didn't like lying to you guys."

"Good." Jesse said firmly, before he slowly smiled as well.

"Great, now that that's dealt with…" Faith began as Hope lay down at her feet. "…We need to figure out what's going on with the prophecy the vamp in the cemetery gave X and Buffy."

Giles' eyes sharpened. "Prophecy? What prophecy?"

"The big guy, Luke, he said something weird in the mausoleum. Wasn't really paying attention though, since I was busy trying to breathe." Buffy said, rubbing her throat at the memory of the vamp's large hand clamped on it.

At Giles' look Xander recited the words Luke had spoken as best he remembered them. The Watcher then became thoughtful. "Hmm… I will need to do some research on this Master character. I was already looking into the Harvest. I brought some relevant books in the boot of my car. Since I can't exactly go into the library without having to answer some awkward questions with Principal Flutie, I suppose I can do my research here. If you agree, of course."

Faith shrugged. "Fine by us. Flutie won't mind though. X told him you were helping him deal with a vampire issue, so as long as it's related to that, he'll give you leeway."

Giles' head whipped around to stare at Xander. "You told the principal of your high school about the supernatural?"

Xander shrugged. "See, I can agree with secrecy up to a point. When it interferes with my job though, I say 'fuck it'. Flutie had a close encounter of the vamp kind when I started high school, and I bailed him out. Then I explained everything to him and made sure it stuck rather than got rationalized away. He wasn't happy that I was risking my life like that, but I got him to understand that someone had to do it. So he's been helpful since then. As long as it's justified and I don't let it affect my grades too much, he'll give me leeway for hunting." As Giles took his glasses off and began cleaning them Xander continued. "It's allowed me to set up defenses in the school, too."

"Like?" Buffy asked.

"The tanks for the sprinkler system are full of holy water now." Faith said, smirking. "If we have trouble with vamps in there, just pull the fire alarm and the bastards will get a nice soak."

"Nice." Jesse said with a grin.

"We've also been discussing replacing the door handles with ones engraved with crosses, making it harder for vamps to open the doors, which will at least slow them down. That one's been stalled because of budget issues." Xander said with a small frown.

"Good lord…" Giles said.

"Oh, and there are stakes hidden around the school in case of emergency. We'll point them out to you all later." Faith said as she finished her coffee.

Willow fidgeted. "So you told Principal Flutie that we got involved with vampires, and that's why he's letting us take the day off?"

Xander nodded. "Yeah. Just told him you finally became aware of things and needed time to process. We've got today off to deal with things without worrying about your parents being called about skipping class."

Buffy let out a breath of relief at that. She really didn't want to worry her mom. She was trying so hard for Buffy's sake that she sometimes felt guilty.

"I'll be telling him about Buffy, and that her burning the gym of her old school down was vamp related. It'll make him give her some slack like he does me, which will make things simpler going forward." Xander said.

Giles frowned. "While the idea of involving civilians is not something I'm exactly sanguine about, I will admit having the assistance of the school administration would be extraordinarily helpful…"

Nuble cleared her throat. "I hate to interrupt, but I believe you may have gotten a bit off track, Master."

Xander blinked before nodding. "Right, yeah. Thanks Nuble." He got up and stretched. "Feel free to set up a research station here." He looked at Willow. "Wills, maybe you can help with the research by using our computer? I'm sure someone with your skills will be able to find plenty of information."

Willow bobbed her head. "O-okay."

He turned to Buffy and Jesse. "You guys are coming with me and Faith."

Jesse got up, quirking an eyebrow at his best friend. "Where are we going, man?"

Xander cracked a grin. "I need to restock my gear, so we're going to meet my supplier and load up with something more substantial than stakes."

Buffy looked intrigued.

* * *

In an underground space that looked like an old church, an ancient monster stood, staring at Luke and the sole survivor of the vampiric raiding party Darla had led. "So, not only do you return to me, empty handed, and not only have three of our number been killed, but my dear Darla also perished?" He asked in a deceptively soft whisper.

The lackey shuddered in fear while Luke looked down submissively. "There were two hunters in the tomb, sire. The male was the one we have been dealing with for several years. He was tricky, using a simple water gun loaded with holy water to catch Darla by surprise. The female defeated the others using strength beyond that of a normal human." He looked up at the ancient vampire. "I believe she might have been-"

"A Slayer…" The ancient being, the Master of the Order of Aurelius, murmured quietly. "Well now, this can complicate matters… She cannot be allowed to interfere in the Harvest."

"I will not let that happen." Luke said intensely.

The Master raised an eyebrow. "No, you will not." He said, a statement of fact. He turned away, thinking. "Increase our efforts in dealing with that hunter. He has been a thorn in our side for too long now. I want him brought to me so I may feed from him."

Luke nodded. "As you command."

* * *

Buffy looked around as she followed Xander to his supplier. They were in a lower income part of town, with a couple of boarded up shops scattered around.

Xander led them into an alley beside one of those closed shops and walked to a heavy metal door set in the side. Moving up to it he quickly knocked on it in a special pattern. After a few seconds there was an answering knock in a different pattern, to which Xander responded with a new knock pattern. A second later the door proceeded to open. Xander waved for the others to follow him in.

As they entered the building Buffy saw that it was full of weapons of various types, from swords and bows to assault rifles and shotguns, along with the same variety in body armor. There were also many other items, such as flasks of liquid and what looked like dice and playing cards that glowed eerily.

Closing the door behind them was an older man, probably in his late sixties. He had mostly grey hair with a few wisps of black remaining, and dark, nearly black eyes. As he walked back in front of the group Buffy noted that he walked with a noticeable limp.

"So, finally let your friends know, eh?" The man said with an accent Buffy couldn't place. It sounded British to her, but not quite right. He looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "I thought you said your other friend was a redhead, though."

"Willow is back at my place." Xander said. "This is Buffy. She just moved into town. She's the current Slayer."

The man's eyebrows rose. "Zat so?" He gave Buffy a light bow. "Francis Took, girlie."

"Hi." She said with a small wave.

Francis turned to Jesse. "And you?"

Jesse jumped. "Uh, I'm Jesse."

The older man grunted. "Nice to meetcha." He looked back to Xander. "Your usual order?"

Xander nodded, following Francis as he turned away to move to a counter nearby. "Yeah. The local vamp population has a party planned for some time soon, and I want to be ready for it."

Francis nodded. "Alright." He placed a small sack on the counter as he explained for the newbies. "Ten of my special fireballs. I've improved the formula, by the way. Should do a lot more damage." Then he placed a brace of small throwing knives. "Fifteen knives made from blessed silver quenched in holy water during forging." Next was a bottle of electric orange liquid. "Essence of valerian."

Xander picked up the bottle and rubbed his face against it like a cat. "Oh yes. Sweet, sweet stamina potion…"

Francis sighed as Faith snickered from where she was looking at some knives. "Anything else, you crazy brat?"

"Yeah, more hypo ammo." Xander said as he set the bottle back down. Then he looked at Jesse and Buffy. "Guys, feel free to pick something up." He pointed at his best guy friend. "And go for practicality over rule of cool."

Jesse frowned. "Fiiiine…" He moved over to the knives Faith was looking at.

Buffy looked at dome of the swords, picking one up and giving it a couple of practice swings. Xander moved over to her. "I prefer axes, personally."

The Slayer considered it. "Swords are better. You can slash _and_ stab." She said.

Xander shrugged. "To each their own… Even if you're wrong." He chuckled as she gave him a look.

Twenty minutes later Xander had placed most of their purchases in a backpack he'd brought along. Buffy's new sword was carried by her in a duffel bag Francis loaned them. As they were walking back to Xander's house Buffy decided to satiate her curiosity. "So how did you guys meet Francis?"

"Same way we've met most of our contacts in Sunnydale, we helped him out." Faith said. "A gang of various demons decided they wanted his inventory, and he wasn't willing to give up without a fight. While they were distracted beating the shit outta him, me and Xan crept around, taking them out before they noticed. By the time they realized what was happening, they were already down to half."

"Since then he's been providing us with gear at a discount." Xander said. "It's come in real handy."

"Good to know." The blonde said as they walked.

* * *

Back in the underground church, a row of candles had been lit. They glowed softly, illuminating the dark space up to the altar where the Master stood. A low chanting could be heard as vampires participated in the ritual taking place before them.

Luke stepped forward, pulling off his shirt as he walked. He knelt before the Master as he reached him. The Master held out his hand, and Luke leaned forward and kissed it. The ancient vampire then turned his hand so his palm faced upwards, prompting Luke to kiss that as well. Then the burly enforcer gently took his Master's wrist in hand and brought his lips to it before biting, beginning to feed. The Master briefly closed his eyes at the sensation. It was over after a few moments when Luke pulled back, demonic face contorted in light pain.

"My blood runs with yours." The Master said strongly. "My soul is your province."

Luke responded faithfully. "My body is your instrument."

The Master took a drop of blood from his wrist and dabbed it onto Luke's forehead, painting a three-pointed star. Then he spoke to all those assembled. "On this most hallowed night, we are as one. Luke is the Vessel. Every soul he takes shall feed me. Their souls will grant me the power to free myself. Tonight I will walk the Earth…" He smiled cruelly. "…and the stars themselves will hide."

* * *

When the teens returned to Xander and Faith's home they found Willow and Giles hard at work going through what they'd learned while Nuble kept them supplied with drinks and snacks between cleaning the house. "Hey you crazy party animals, did you have fun without us?" Faith asked as she threw herself into a seat while Xander and Buffy set the bags down.

Giles looked up, adjusting his glasses. "Oh yes." He said drily. "It was quite stimulating." He eyed the bags. "Were your own efforts fruitful?"

"Yep." Buffy chirped as she extracted her new sword from its carrying case, showing it off.

Xander opened his own bag, taking out a dagger and offering it to Willow. "Here you go, Wills. It's got a mild defensive enchantment on it, so it'll help you protect yourself."

The redhead took the dagger hesitantly. "O-Oh…" She looked at it dubiously. "Neat."

"So…" Faith began as she took the brace of throwing knives from Xander. "What are we dealing with this time?"

"How about the end of the world?" Giles asked mildly.

Faith cocked her head to the side. "…Oh. Well, that promises to be interesting, at least…"

"The end of the world?" Jesse asked a bit nervously. "You're exaggerating for effect… right?"

Giles shook his head slowly, making the teen gulp slightly. Xander cut in. "Alright Giles, why don't you tell us what's going on?"

The Brit adjusted his glasses again before beginning to speak. "Very well then, this is what we know. Some sixty years ago a very old, very powerful vampire came to this shore, and not just to feed."

"He came 'cause this town is a mystical whoosit?" Buffy asked.

"Yes." Giles said, gamely ignoring his charge's… Americanism. "The Spanish who first settled here called it Boca Del Infierno. Roughly tanslated: Hellmouth. A sort of portal from this reality to various others. The vampire hoped to open it."

"You mean he wanted to bring all the big demons you told us about before back?" Jesse asked, chowing down on one of the twinkies that Nuble had set out, prompting a small glare from Xander who grabbed one as well.

"Yeah, I think that qualifies as end of the world." Buffy said.

"But he blew it." Willow cut in. "Or, I mean, there was an earthquake that swallowed about half the town. And him too… or at least, there were no more vampire type killings after."

"Opening dimensional portals is tricky business." Giles said mildly. "Odds are he got himself stuck. Like a cork in a bottle."

"So the Harvest thing that big guy went on about is to get him out?" Faith asked.

"It's an event that comes once in a century, on this night." Giles continued explaining. "A master vampire can draw power from one of his minions while it feeds. Enough power to break free, and to open the portal. The minion is called the Vessel, and he bears this symbol." He showed the group a sketch he'd made of a three-pointed star.

"So I dust anyone sporting this look, and no Harvest." Buffy said confidently.

Giles cleaned his glasses. "Simply put, yes."

"Any clue where this little get together is being held?" She asked her Watcher.

"Well, there are a number of possibilities…" Giles began before being interrupted.

"The Bronze." Willow, Jesse, Xander, Faith and even Nuble said.

Giles blinked, nonplussed. "Ah, are you sure?"

Jesse nodded. "Lots of young, strong people in a small area. Best bang for your buck."

"Then we need to get there. The sun will be down before long." Giles said.

Xander moved to a broom closet and, to the surprise of most there, pulled out a false panel which revealed several weapons and items, including a rifle, which he pulled out.

Buffy eyed the rifle in distaste. "You know bullets don't work on vampires, right?" Her tone said that she we reevaluating her opinion of his skills.

"This isn't for bullets." Xander told her as he pulled out the ammunition.

"Tranquilizer darts?" Giles asked dubiously.

"Much nastier." Xander said, holding up one of the darts to show it full of clear liquid. "Full of holy water."

Buffy and Giles looked taken aback at the concept before the older man began to clean his glasses again. "Good lord…"

Xander grimaced slightly. "Yeah, I don't like using them often. I hate vampires, but this is too much like torture."

Willow blinked. "Why?" She asked hesitantly.

Faith was the one to answer. "Imagine injecting acid into someone's veins and watching it eat away at them."

Willow became a bit green, and wasn't the only one to look disturbed.

Xander sighed. "Yeah, but it's very effective, so I use it when necessary. I just make sure to stake them as quickly as possible after shooting them." Then he proceeded to take his leather jacket off and picked up ceramic plates that he slipped into special pouches in the inner lining of the jacket. When he was done he looked at the other teens. "Well? Suit up."

* * *

The music in the club was going full blast when a group of eight vampires arrived. The club's bouncer stepped held up a hand, unable to see their faces clearly due to the shadows. "I need to see some ID." When the vamps started moving past him he spoke louder. "Hey! Nobody goes inside until I see-" He cut himself off, face paling when Luck stepped into the light, letting the man see his demonic face.

"Get in." Luke growled. The bouncer complied instantly.

The vampires spread out once they were inside, each one heading off to block an exit, two staying behind to keep the front closed as Luke climbed up onto the stage as the lights were cut by one of the vampires.

As the crowd of teens began to murmur to each other Luke spoke from the stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, there's no cause for alarm." He stepped into the single spotlight that shone on the stage, letting those assembled see his inhuman features, prompting gasps at the sight. "Actually, there is cause for alarm. It just won't do you any good." He smiled unpleasantly. As people tried to leave they were rebuffed by the vampires guarding the exits, making them cringe back in fear. Luke spread his arms wide, still smiling. "This is a glorious night!" His gaze somehow became more menacing. "It's also the last one any of you shall ever see…" He paused to let the words sink in. "Bring me the first!" He called.

A vampire brought the bouncer up on stage. "What do you guys want?" He asked. "You want money?"

Luke reached out and grabbed the burly man's neck, squeezing and keeping him from speaking further. "Watch me, people!" He looked into the bouncer's eyes. "Their fear is an elixir. It's almost like blood…" He began bringing his mouth to the bouncer's neck, but was interrupted by a loud bang coming from the second floor. He stopped and looked up to find Xander standing by the railing, rifle in one hand, sports supply starting gun in the other.

"Heya ugly. Remember me?" Xander smirked as he dropped the plastic noisemaker to the floor, shouldering his rifle and aiming it at Luke.

Said vampire let the bouncer go as he stared up at Xander. "Hunter… I did not think you so foolish as to believe you could take us all on alone, with a firearm of all things. You truly have a death wish."

"Who said I was alone?" Xander asked with a smirk as Buffy suddenly stepped out from among the crowd, swinging her sword to decapitate the vamp standing by the stage before he could react, making people let out small cries as they saw him suddenly crumble to dust.

Buffy smiles chipperly. "Hi! Not so tough when you haven't caught us by surprise, are ya?"

Luke growled as he glared at her. "Slayer…"

While everyone was distracted by Buffy and Xander's performance Faith crept up on one of the vamps guarding an exit, quickly staking her from behind. She signaled that it was clear, prompting Jesse, Willow and Giles to begin leading people out.

Luke switched his gaze from Buffy to Xander and back. "Even if you have help, do you truly think you can eliminate all of us?"

A vampire suddenly charged at Xander, ready to launch him over the railing. The young hunter quickly turned and fired his weapon, the dart hitting the vamp in the neck. He took a beat to register it, but soon the monster had dropped to the ground, spasming and shrieking loudly in pain.

The other vampires around stared in horror as Xander calmly walked up to the vampire and drew a small stake from his reinforced jacket, dusting him quickly and efficiently. Then he stood back up and reloaded his gun in the sudden silence after the screaming was stopped. He finally looked back at Luke, a serious look in his eyes. "Yes. Yes, I do."

Luke growled as Buffy stepped forward, brandishing her sword and narrowing her eyes when she saw the symbol on his forehead. Luke turned his gaze back to her before snarling, picking up the mic stand on the stage to use as a staff. Then the two launched themselves at each other.

As this was going on the other vampires finally noticed their prey leaving. One of them launched herself at the nearest person leading them out, which was Willow, intent on snapping her neck. She was stopped in his tracks as a silver throwing knife buried itself in her eye, making her scream. Jesse came at her with a stake and drove it through the monster's heart while she was distracted, thus dusting his first vamp. Then he had to backpedal when more vampires ran to stop any more from fleeing.

Xander turned and aimed at one of the last vamps. He missed the shot by an inch, but it stopped to look up. Xander quickly flicked one of his flammable paintballs, launching the small projectile at his target. The vamp immediately went up in flames, quickly turning to ash.

Buffy was fighting Luke with everything she had. The vampire was strong and skilled, but thanks to Buffy's new sword she was able to keep him back, causing some lasting damage in the form of deep cuts to his arms and legs despite his best attempts to block with the mic stand.

"I will drink your blood for my Master, Slayer!" Luke snarled.

Before Buffy could respond a tranquilizer dart hit Luke in the arm. The powerful vampire's eyes widened in shock before the stand fell from his grasp as he dropped to his knees, gritting his teeth in agony. Buffy smirked. "Guess you're not." Then she swung her sword, removing Luke's head as he glared at her in impotent fury.

* * *

In the underground church, The Master had been standing, waiting impatiently to feel the flow of power Luke would give him. When instead he felt the backlash of the connection being severed violently, he fell to his knees, unable to hold himself up.

When he realized what had happened, the ancient vampire threw his head back and screamed in rage, promising vengeance on those that had prevented him from escaping his prison.

* * *

The team gathered in the middle of the now empty Bronze, looking around at the piles of ash.

"Well… we stopped it." Willow said.

"With no casualties, too. That's what I call a good night." Faith said with a smirk as she put away her throwing knives.

Jesse looked at Xander. "And you do this every night?"

Xander shrugged. "Not every night. Sometimes things get rough."

Jesse shook his head. "You're crazier than I thought, dude."

Xander eyed him. "That a problem?"

Jesse slowly smiled. "Nah. You know me. I've always got your back, bro."

Xander smiled in relief.

Willow looked around again. "Soo… now what?"

Buffy stretched. "I don't know about you, but I could use a nice long soak and some food."

"That sounds like an excellent idea." Giles said, looking tired.

"Alright then." Xander clapped his hands with a smile. "I declare the first night's work of the Scooby Gang a success!"

Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Scooby Gang?"

Faith snickered. "He's wanted his own hunter group since he was twelve. He's thought up a lot of names. That was one of the least dorky ones."

Xander overdramatically clutched his heart. "Faith, your words, they kill."

The other teens laughed at his performance, letting what was left of the tension leave their bodies as Giles sighed but smiled indulgently.

* * *

 ** _*Peek around a corner* Uh, hey all. Been a while on this fic, huh?_**

 ** _So yeah, this is the fic I've left hanging the longest. Honestly I just had too many other ideas I really wanted to get to for other fics that, while I thought of this one on occasion, it often fell by the wayside._**

 ** _But then I got a review from dogbertcaroll, and that lit my fuse for this fic again._**

 ** _So, this still sticks a bit close to canon, but it's early days yet. It still provided some new information I hope keeps you all guessing. I will say that things have been omitted or lied about. You'll see as we go further._**

 ** _When I continue this we'll delve more into Xander's support system and how his friends are dealing with things. Should be fun._**

 ** _If you want to see this fic updated more often, I now have a Pat A Ron where, for just one dollar a month, you can vote for one of the stories I'll update during the following month. Just look for me at Pat A Ron dotcom /athanmortis._**

 ** _I think that's all at the moment. Please review, and I'll see you next time._**


	3. The Witch

Xander walked into Principal Flutie's office, Buffy trailing hesitantly behind him, looking unsure of herself.

"What can I do for you, Xander?" Flutie asked as he sat behind his desk, watching the two teens. When the door closed behind them he continued. "Is this about the situation that required time off for you, Faith, Ms. Rosenberg, Ms. Summers and Mr. McNally?"

"Yeah." Xander said as he sat down in one of the seats in front of the desk, looking relaxed as could be, which weirded Buffy out slightly. She couldn't imagine being so casual when speaking about supernatural matters to someone who was supposed to be uninvolved. "I'm here to ask for the same deal for them that you give me and Faith."

Flutie's eyebrows went up even as a frown appeared on his face. "You're getting them involved in your hunting? I thought you'd keep them out of it as much as possible, Xander. This is a surprise, and not one I'm happy about."

Xander shrugged. "Well, Willow and Jesse would get involved somehow anyway. Besides, they've got useful skills. Willow can hack anything, and her smarts would make her a formidable researcher. Jesse can be another set of hands for heavy lifting, and he may be a slacker but he can get the job done if he gets his head in the game."

"And Ms. Summers?" Flutie asked, nodding his head at the girl who sat and let Xander talk, fidgeting slightly.

"Oh, she's been involved for a while now. The gym she burned down was full of vampires." Xander said lightly.

Flutie blinked before turning to her. "What?"

"Funny thing…" Buffy said with a nervous laugh. "There was this annoying master vamp called Lothos, and he decided I would be tasty, so he filled the gym with his minions to get me, and… yeah…" She finished lamely as she saw Flutie look more and more incredulous.

"She's the current Slayer." Xander filled in. "I told you about that, didn't I?"

Flutie blinked before peering at Buffy through his glasses, as though he was trying to see something that would definitively mark her as a supernatural warrior. "Oh."

Buffy suddenly felt a bit offended and crossed her arms, displeased. "You don't have to sound so disbelieving…"

"Ah, sorry." Flutie said somewhat sheepishly. "I just wasn't expecting to hear that." He turned back to Xander. "May I ask how Mr. Giles is involved?"

"He's Buffy's Watcher." Xander explained. "It's his job to guide and teach Buffy about the supernatural, as well as train her in combat. It's why he took the job here."

Flutie took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I knew a man with his qualifications taking the post of school librarian was odd, but I dismissed it." He groaned. "Damned Sunnydale Syndrome…"

"Sunnydale Syndrome?" Buffy asked.

"People don't seem to notice the weird shit that goes on in this town, even when it affects them." Xander said bluntly. "You already heard the crazy explanations for what happened during the Harvest that are floating around, despite the witnesses. My theory is that there is some sort of spell or effect that makes you rationalize everything away unless your nose is practically rubbed into the situation. And even then it sometimes doesn't take."

"It can be a blessing." Flutie said with a sigh. "The last thing I need is students trying to perform magic or look for monsters themselves. Xander and Faith give me enough grey hairs as it is." Then he looked back at Buffy, his face serious. "Alright, you get the same deal Xander and Faith have. As long as you keep your grades up, I will excuse the occasional absence and let you leave campus during school hours if absolutely necessary." He did his best to look intimidating, which unfortunately for him wasn't that effective. "Don't make me regret this. Understood?"

Buffy nodded quickly. "I won't, sir. Thank you."

The principal nodded, satisfied. "Alright. In that case, go ahead and get going. Class should be starting soon."

Xander stood up. "Alright. I'll keep you appraised of anything I think you need to know, as usual." With a casual salute to the administrator he made his way out of the office, Buffy following behind him feeling relieved that it had gone well.

* * *

Giles hung up the phone in the school library as he finished his call to report the events of the Harvest to the council, a slight frown on his face which was brought on by one of the topics of the discussion. Alexander Lavelle Harris.

Honestly, Ruptert didn't know what to make of the young man. He'd never heard of a hunter like him before. He was skilled, as shown by the simple fact that he was still alive after hunting for as long as he had, yes, but what baffled the Watcher was the fact that he did not follow any of the conventions that were shared by those who knew of the darkness of the world.

He was very well connected, if what he said about having a seer on speed dial was true. Such support made him a fairly dangerous individual, as knowledge was power, as the old axiom said. The fact that he'd actually revealed the supernatural to the principal of his school simply to make his life easier threw Giles for a loop even more than the seer though, in some respects.

Hunters that weren't members of some sort of organization tended to be independent and secretive. They didn't usually go to the authorities with issues, knowing that groups such as the police were either woefully unprepared or were somehow too undermined by the forces of the enemy to be of any help.

While Xander's more open approach did have a few advantages, the Brit couldn't help but wonder what the downsides were.

Then, of course, there were the concerns about Xander himself. He seemed pleasant enough, if a bit too… American… but Giles was still wary. Someone of his abilities with access to a seer could have planned out the best way to approach the current Slayer in order to take advantage of her. Hell, there was no guarantee he hadn't done exactly that, even if his intentions were benign. There was no telling the damage he could do if he managed to turn Buffy against the Council. A rogue Slayer was a terrifying thought.

He shelved his thoughts with the intention to keep an eye on things as Faith walked into the library, looking amused. Behind her walked Jesse and Willow, who looked confused. "Is there anything I can help you with?" Giles asked, not liking how Faith looked even more entertained when he asked.

"I'm just here to enjoy the show." Faith said with a smile, walking over to one of the tables and taking a seat, the other two following along.

A feeling of dread pooling in the Watcher's gut, he turned to the library entrance as Xander walked in next, the young hunter quickly making his way to his friends. Giles was about to ask what was going on when Buffy came in, and his brain seized up with a small scream of protest. "Wh… what is this?" He asked.

Buffy posed in a cheerleader uniform, much to the obvious approval of Jesse, Xander and Faith. "I'm trying out for the cheerleading squad!"

Giles' mouth opened and closed several times as he tried to come up with the words he wanted to say. "I… It… This is madness!" He suddenly burst out, unable to contain his disapproval. "What can you have been thinking? You are the Slayer! Lives depend upon you!" He began to pace agitatedly as he continued his small rant. "I make allowances for your youth, but I expect a certain amount of responsibility, and instead of which you enslave yourself to this, this…" He stopped pacing, turning to glare at his charge. "…Cult?"

Buffy looked down at the uniform, taking in the yellow and red of the shirt and skirt. "You don't like the color?" She asked, drawing a snicker from Faith, who was grinning from her seat.

Giles twitched, whether due to Faith's snicker or Buffy's response was anyone's guess. "I d…" He turned, exasperated, putting some books on a cart. "Do you ignore everything I say as a, as a rule?"

"No, I believe that's your trick." Buffy riposted, skipping in front of him and posing again as he pushed the cart to the counter.

"You have a sacred birthright, Buffy. You were chosen to destroy vampires, not to... wave pompoms at people. And as the Watcher I forbid it." Giles said in what he fondly thought was a firm voice as he walked back to the table full of books, the other teens in the room watching with amusement.

"And you'll be stopping me how?" She asked with exaggerated interest.

"Well, I…" Giles paused, momentarily stumped, and sat on the edge of the table as he crossed his arms. "By appealing to your common sense, if such a creature exists."

Xander let out a cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh, which made both Giles and Buffy give him a look. Finally Buffy turned back to her Watcher. "Look, I'll still have time to fight the forces of evil, okay? I just wanna have a life, I wanna do something normal. Something safe."

This time both Xander and Faith burst out into roucous, unrestrained laughter.

* * *

A short time later the group of teens were walking into the gym, where the cheerleader tryouts were going to be held. The building was full of girls in similar uniforms to Buffy's stretching and practicing, their friends and/or admirers sitting on the stands, watching it all.

"Seriously, why is he so uptight all the time?" Buffy complained as Willow and Faith walked beside her, Xander and Jesse bringing up the rear. "We haven't seen a vampire in over a week. I'd say he should get a girlfriend if he wasn't so old."

"Well, we're behind you." Willow said with a smile.

"Yeah, B." Faith said, popping a bubble of gum as she walked, hands in her jean pockets. "You need to have something normal to fall back on with lives like ours. Otherwise you'll just burn out or go crazy. Why do you think we have so many comics and games at home?"

"Does that happen often?" Jesse asked Xander, doing his best not to stare at a girl doing splits on a couple of chairs and failing in the most spectacular manner conceivable. "Hunters burning out or going nuts?"

"That old saying about staring into the abyss isn't wrong." Xander said, pitching his voice to make sure all of his friends could hear him, Buffy especially. Said blonde turned her head slightly to listen to him. "Hunting takes a toll on you, because you see some of the worst of the world. The more you do it, the more desperate you get facing big enemies, the farther you're willing to go to win in the name of the greater good. So you need something to ground you in reality and remind you of why you do what you do." He shrugged. "It's different for everybody. Music, sports, whatever. Just as long as it makes you happy."

The teens were silent for a few moments before Willow waved at one of the cheerleader hopefuls. "Amy! Hi!"

"Hi!" Amy, a cute girl with dark hair, walked over, looking nervous.

"I didn't know you wanted to be a cheerleader." Willow said with a smile. "You lost a lot of weight."

"Had to." Amy said with a shrug.

"Have you met Buffy?" Willow asked next, pleased as the girls greeted each other. Before anything else could be said the cheerleading squad leader, Joy, stepped up to call forward the first hopeful and tell those not trying out to get out of the way.

Buffy turned to her friends with a smile as Amber Grove made her way forward. "Well, let's see if this is the thing for me."

"Good luck, B." Faith said with a smile.

"I'm sure you'll do great." Willow said with an encouraging smile on her face.

"Kick ass." Jesse said once he was able to tear his eyes away from a girl that was bending almost a hundred and eighty degrees forward.

Xander was opening his mouth to give his own encouragement when Coach Foster, the PE teacher of the school, walked into the gym and blew her whistle before Amber could begin her routine. "Attention! Tryouts are cancelled!" She announced loudly, causing a chorus of protests from the girls in attendance. "They will be rescheduled for next week, but the administration has cancelled them for now due to a few issues that need to be ironed out. You'll get your chance, girls." With that, she made an about face and marched off without paying any attention to the angry words of the many girls there.

As the crowd of hopefuls began to complain to each other Willow turned to the others, curious and not seeming to notice how Amy had seemingly frozen in place from shock. "What was that about?"

Faith was the only one to notice the small smile on Xander's face, which she quickly returned.

* * *

Joyce Summers was humming to herself in the kitchen of her home as she unpacked crates full of art. Setting aside a clay pot she picked up a crowbar and started trying to pry a crate open as Buffy walked in. "Hey mom."

"Hi." Joyce grunted as she put some force into the crowbar, failing to open it. "How was school?"

"Mm, a reverent joy." Buffy said with a slight roll of her eyes. "What's all this?"

"It's for the tribal art display." Joyce said as she once again tried and failed to pry the crate open.

"Cool!" Buffy said, picking up a piece and examining it. "Tryouts got cancelled today."

"Oh no." Joyce said. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you'll get another chance, though."

"Yeah, next week. Still, I really wanted to get it."

"Well, I know you'll do fine. Keep on pluggin', just have to get back on the horse."

Buffy hummed and set the piece she was studying down before turning to her mother. "Mom?"

"Yeah?" Joyce asked distractedly as she heaved again.

"What was I going to try out for?"

"Oh, uh…" The older woman stopped her futile attempts to turn to Buffy. "Some activity? I have no idea, I'm sorry." She looked guilty at that.

"That's okay. Your platitudes are good for all occasions." Buffy said with a small smile.

Joyce let out a breath. "I'm distracted." She tried again to pry the crate open. "Go a lot of inventory to go through here. This is my gallery's first major show." She let out a loud exhale before giving up and setting the crowbar down. "You know, it might not physically kill you to give me a hand here." She moved over to her clipboard, her back to Buffy and thus not noticing said girl grab the lid of the crate and effortlessly tear it off with her bare hands.

"It was cheerleading." Buffy said once she set the lid aside.

"Oh good!" Joyce said happily. "I'm glad you're taking that up again. It'll keep you out of trouble."

"I'm not _in_ trouble." Buffy said, offended.

"No, not yet." Joyce said as she turned back around. Buffy couldn't hide the hurt she felt at that matter of fact statement from her mother. When Joyce looked up from her clipboard and saw the look on Buffy's face she quickly elaborated. "I mean, you stopped cheerleading just before the trouble, so it's good you're going back." She looked into the crate Buffy had opened. "Oh dear."

"What?" Buffy asked.

"The fertility statue. You don't need to see it." She placed the lid back on the crate and was going back to the clipboard when the doorbell rang. "Who could that be…?" Joyce wondered aloud as she headed out to answer.

Buffy lifted the lid on the crate once her mother left and peered in. "Jeepers!"

Joyce opened the door and was surprised to find a group of teens standing on the doorstep. "Hello?"

The boy in the lead of the group smiled at her. "Hi. You must be Buffy's mother. We're friends of hers from school. I'm Xander, this is Faith, Willow and Jesse." He said, indicating to each of the teens in turn, each of them giving their own greetings.

"Oh! Hello." Joyce smiled, taking them all in, pleased that they seemed like nice enough kids that wouldn't get her daughter in trouble. "I'm Joyce Summers. Buffy is in the kitchen. Feel free to come in." She stepped back and made her way back to the kitchen, where Buffy was sipping some juice. "Buffy, your friends are here."

Buffy blinked but perked up as the others walked into the room, glancing around. "Oh, hey guys. Did you need something?"

Xander smiled at the blonde as Faith and Jesse studied the various pieces of art while Willow made sure they didn't break anything. "Hey Buff. Just thought I'd see if you wanted to come over to my place and hang out." He gave her a look that told her there was more to it but that he didn't want to say anything with her mother there.

"Oh, sure!" Buffy said quickly, looking at Joyce. "That's alright, right mom?"

Joyce considered it. "I don't see why not. Just make sure you're back in time for dinner."

"Great." Buffy chirped, grabbing her coat and giving her mother a kiss on the cheek. "See you later." She led the way out as the other teens said their farewells.

Once they were outside Buffy looked at Xander. "So, what's the sitch?"

"Let's wait till we're at my place." He told her as they walked. "I already told Giles to meet us there."

"You know, it would be nice if you'd actually invited me over to hang out instead of work." Buffy said with a bit of a grumble.

"You can come over tomorrow, B. No reason we can't unwind after this little crisis is over." Faith answered with a smile, making Buffy perk up.

* * *

Giles looked up from the tea Nuble had served him when the door opened, letting the five teens into the house. Once they were all seated in the living room and the maid had served drinks he looked at Xander and Faith. "Alright, may I ask why you've called us here? Has something happened?"

Xander sipped his coffee before speaking, Faith scratching Hope behind the ears and letting him be the one to speak. "I had the cheerleader try outs cancelled earlier today." He said, his gaze shifting to Buffy to see her reaction.

Said girl frowned at him but didn't give any other reaction. "Why?"

Xander smiled, pleased by her restraint. "I got a little tip that one of the hopefuls wasn't what she appeared to be, though I didn't get details. So I let it go on to get all the suspects together, then had Flutie postpone it to next week once I'd determined who it was."

Giles couldn't help but let his eyebrows rise with surprise at the well thought out plan. "Indeed? Who is the impostor, then?"

Xander turned to Willow. "Who can you think of that had a sudden change recently, Wills?"

Willow blinked before paling slightly. "You don't mean Amy, do you?"

Faith sat back. "She lost a lot of weight, Red. Plus, she didn't used to care about cheerleading, now she's suddenly gung ho about it. You heard her complaining about try outs being canceled."

Willow frowned, trying to refute the points but not able to. Jesse was the one to speak next. "So you guys think she's a pod person?"

"Something like that. Not entirely sure what her deal is, but we should be able to find out once we go to her house. We just need to make sure we do it while she's out." Xander explained. "I've gotten Flutie to give us a pass for tomorrow to investigate while Amy is at school. I want Buffy and Giles to come with me to do it. We might need Buffy to kick something's ass, and Giles should know what we're looking at and how to fix it. You guys will stay at school and keep an eye on Amy. Try to stall her if it looks like she's going to leave school, cause if she does that means she'll have noticed our snooping."

The other occupants of the Harris-Lehane living room glanced at each other, trying to come up with any flaws in the plan, before conceding that there were none. Faith smiled, satisfied. "Great. Now, who wants to play Tekken 3?"

Giles just looked confused. "What?"

* * *

The next morning Giles, Buffy and Xander arrived at the Madison residence in Giles' car. Once the old, grey vehicle stopped Xander leapt out, followed more sedately by Buffy. "Holy crap, G-Man! I'm never riding with you again!"

Giles stepped out of the car, looking offended. "I am an excellent driver, young man."

"But that car is a piece of crap. I could have _walked_ here faster. The impatience was killing me!" Xander retorted.

Giles drew himself up to fire back at the young hunter when Buffy let out a whistle. "Guys, we've got a job to do, remember?"

Xander took a breath as Giles closed his eyes briefly. "Alright." The younger man began. "Giles, you take point. Amy's mother is more likely to pay attention to you. Me and Buffy will keep an eye out for any funny business."

Giles straightened his coat and nodded, making his way to the house, the teens following behind.

As they walked Buffy went over what she'd learned about Amy and her mother the previous afternoon. She'd asked Willow what she knew of her former friend, in case it became useful, something both Xander and Giles had approved of.

Amy's mother was once the head cheerleader of the Sunnydale High squad, leading them to become tri-county champions. Homecoming queen, got married right after graduation to a man that ran off with another woman not long after.

She was also rather obsessive. If either of them gained a single pound, she'd put both herself and Amy on a broth diet and padlock the fridge. Willow had a fond smile on her face when she said that Amy used to come over to her house at those times and pig out on brownies with her.

In essence, Amy's mother was a bitter woman obsessed with her past glories, completely unable to let them go. Faith said that whatever had happened to Amy was likely her mother's influence, and Giles agreed after taking in everything that had been said.

Giles knocked on the door of the Madison house, the three of them waiting slightly anxiously for an answer. Eventually the door opened, revealing an attractive middle-aged woman who held the door close, looking out nervously. "Wh-who are you? Wha, um, is there something wrong?"

"Mrs. Madison? We're here to talk about your daughter, Amy." Giles said, prompting a panicked look to appear on the woman's face, which both Buffy and Xander caught.

"I'm not allow- I mean, you'll have to come back later." Mrs. Madison said nervously, beginning to close the door, only to be stopped by Xander placing his hand on the door, holding it open. "Wh-what…?"

"Mrs. Madison, we think you're daughter is in trouble. Please, if you know something, you need to tell us." Xander said calmly yet insistently.

"I don't know what she's doing!" Mrs. Madison said in a panic, trying to close the door again, but this time Buffy added her strength to Xander's, which meant the older woman didn't have a chance. She quickly let go of the door and rushed to the living room, holding herself defensively as the three walked into the house. "Please, you have to go soon. If she comes home while you're here…"

"You're afraid of her." Giles said in realization. "You're afraid of your daughter. What has she done, Mrs. Madison? We know something is going on, but not what. Has she made a deal with some otherworldly being? Did your, your obsession with cheerleading lead her to do something unfortunate?"

"I don't care about cheerleading!" Mrs. Madison snapped as she stepped back, kicking a plate of brownies that was sitting on the floor by the couch.

Buffy's eyes were drawn to the plate and her eyes widened in shock as the pieces began to fall into place. She glanced at Xander, who met her eyes and raised an eyebrow in question. She quickly turned back to the older woman, who was looking at Giles with fearful anger, and spoke hesitantly. "Amy?"

The three other people in the room turned to Buffy, but she remained focused. "You're Amy, aren't you?"

Giles blinked. "Wh-what?"

"She switched your bodies somehow, didn't she?" Xander said, twigging to what Buffy meant.

Giles' eyes widened. "Good lord."

Amy's shoulders slumped, looking down in defeat. "She said I was wasting my youth. So she took it."

A short while later they were all seated in the Madison living room. Xander was serving Amy some tea, which she took with shaking hands before she began to speak, unprompted. "I didn't know anything about her powers." She said, distraught. "I mean, when dad was here they would fight and yell and he would… call her a witch and… I mean, I would, I just thought he meant…" He shoulders began to shake. "Oh, God, when he left I wanted to go with him. But she wouldn't even let me call. She went crazy, I mean, she'd lock herself upstairs for days, and she was always coming down on me, telling me I didn't deserve to have it so easy, and that I didn't know… how hard it was to be her, and…" She let out a small sob. "I guess she showed me, huh?"

Buffy took the hand of the girl in a woman's body. "Amy, it's going to be okay."

Amy shook her head, looking close to hyperventilating. "A few months ago, I woke up in her… her bed! I didn't know where I was, and… then I looked in the mirror…"

Giles glanced at Xander who looked back at him. "If your mother is a witch, then she must have some place where she can perform her rituals and where she keeps her spellbook. You said she locked herself upstairs?" Giles asked as delicately as he could.

At Amy's nod Xander stood up and made his way to the staircase. "Buffy, stay here with Amy, keep her company. Me and Giles will search." Giles quickly stood up and made his way after the teen as Buffy nodded.

"Wait!" Amy said, standing up in a panic and racing after them. "You can't! If she finds out I've been in there she'll kill me!"

Her words were for naught as Xander broke down the door to the attic, looking around warily with a hand in his coat, Giles entering behind him, followed by Amy and Buffy.

"Geeze, this place is practically a freaking stereotype. I know real witches that would be ashamed of having a place like this associated with them." Xander said caustically as he took everything in.

The attic was dark, with a cauldron in the middle of the room, books and reagents scattered around and hanging from the ceiling, and a rack full of hanging dolls.

Giles moved towards the dolls, seeing two of them bound together, taking them in his hand. "My God!" He said softly before breathing in deeply and turning to Amy. "I believe we can reverse your mother's spell, along with any others she may have cast." He told her.

Amy's eyes widened, her voice shaking with hope. "You could? Really?"

"Yes. We need to find her books. She'd need a specific volume for this kind of spell." Giles said, looking around.

While Giles was speaking Xander had knocked the things sitting on a trunk to the floor and began to open it, only to jump back when a black cat jumped out at him, startling him before running out of the room. "A black cat? Really? How cliche can you get?" He said, irritated. Once he caught his breath, acting as though he couldn't see Buffy's playful smirk at his expense, he reached into the trunk, pulling out a heavy, leather bound book. "Yo G-Man, think this is it?"

Giles moved over to Xander. "Yes, yes this seems to be what we need." He took the book and thumbed through it.

"Great! What's the next step?" Buffy asked.

Giles was distracted by the book, but looked up at Buffy's question. "We, ah, we need to make a potion required for this ritual I have here. I believe the high school chemistry lab should have the reagents we need."

Xander blinked, surprised, before giving the attic a long look, focusing on the many herbs, animal parts and chemicals scattered about. "Is there any reason we can't do it here? I mean, she should have all the things you need, and I don't feel like going to school where she'd be nearby to stop us." He shrugged lightly. "Besides, they're in the middle of class. The lab probably isn't available."

Giles stared at the boy, nonplussed, before blinking and looking slightly sheepish. "W-well, I did not exactly feel comfortable performing such a procedure in the witch's stronghold, but you do have a point…" He glanced around the room. "Very well, help me gather the ingredients."

A short while later several candles were lit as Giles stirred a potion, reciting as he did so. "The center is dark. Centrum est obscurus. The darkness breathes. Tenebrae respiratis. The listener hears. Hear me!"

Amy looked down at her hands, staggering slightly. "Oh, it's… it's working!"

"Buffy!" Xander snapped, making the girl turn from watching Giles. "Get ready to subdue her. Once this works we'll have a pissed off witch to deal with instead of Amy." He reached back into his coat and pulled out a silvery dagger engraved with runes and symbols on the blade.

Buffy nodded as Giles continued to chant, moving behind Amy and wrapping her arms around her.

"Unlock the gate. Let the darkness shine. Cover us with holy fear." Giles chanted, focused completely on what he was doing. "Show me…" The candles abruptly winked out, the attic going dark. "Corsheth and Gilail! The gate is closed! Receive the dark! Release the unworthy! Take of mine energy and be sated!" He plunged his hands into the potion, gritting his teeth. "Be sated! Release the unworthy!"

Buffy tightened her hold on Amy as she felt her begin to shake and stagger, knowing that things were about to shift. Xander's eyes were locked on amy, blade ready to stab forward if necessary.

"Release!" Giles called, hands still in the boiling mixture. "Release!" He called again. "RELEASE!" There was a flash of light, and the body of Catherine Madison slumped briefly.

At Sunnydale High, Faith, Willow and Jesse had been following the girl they thought was Amy around during the lunch break as she quickly made her way to the school gates when she suddenly stopped, her hand against the wall to steady herself. Then they watched as she began touching her body and face as though in disbelief before bursting into tears. Faith immediately rushed over to check on her, the other two following behind.

Back at the Madison residence, Buffy spoke hesitantly. "Amy?" She was then abruptly sent flying, her grip broken by an otherwordly force as Catherine glared angrily at them all.

Xander lunged, his blade ready to stab into her, but she made a choking motion and he stopped, clutching at his throat, before she threw him back, making him slam into a bookcase, dropping the heavy tomes on top of him. He pushed himself up weakly, coughing as he caught his breath. "Did… did she just fucking force choke me?" He asked with incredulity before beginning to force himself to his feet.

Giles had hidden himself as best he could from Catherine's rampage, grabbing a heavy book and tossing it at the witch's head. She batted it aside with a wave of her hand, but the distraction was enough for Buffy to punch her in the back of the head. Such a blow would have knocked any normal person unconscious with one hell of a concussion, but Catherine was using her magic to protect herself, so instead she was staggered before turning to Buffy with a snarl on her face. "Damn you all!" She screeched as she launched a surprised Buffy away again. "That body was mine! That girl doesn't deserve to waste it when I could put it to better use!"

"Oh, grow the hell up, lady!" Buffy snapped back as she stood back up, clutching a broken chair leg.

Catherine growled again and held a hand out at Buffy, light beginning to pool in her palm as she began casting a spell. "I shall look upon my enemy!" She snarled as Buffy tensed, getting ready to dodge. "I shall look upon her and the dark place will have her soul!" The light in her hand got brighter. "Corseth, ta-" She cut off, the light in her hand dissipating as she let out a slow cough. She turned her head to see Xander behind her, dagger in hand and buried in her back.

"I don't think so, lady." He said coldly as he removed the bloody dagger from the witch's back as Buffy and Giles watched, wide eyed. Catherine coughed again, specks of blood flying out to land on her chest, before she fell bonelessly to the ground and let out one last, rattling gasp before going still.

Giles slowly approached, followed by Buffy. "Are you alright?" He asked them both.

Buffy nodded slowly before looking worriedly at Xander, who let out a slow, shuddering breath, his eyes closed. "I'll manage, G-Man." He said slowly. "Not the first time I've been forced to kill someone other than a vamp. I'll be discussing it with my therapist later."

Both Buffy and Giles blinked at that, thrown by what he said. "You have a therapist you tell these things to?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah." Xander said. "She's a member of the supernatural community. I'll introduce you later. It's always good to have someone you can talk to."

Buffy nodded before turning her gaze back to Catherine's body. "What do we do about her? I doubt seeing this would be good for Amy."

"I'll handle it." Xander said. "I have contacts I use for cleanup after hunts."

"Indeed?" Giles asked, once again surprised by Xander's connections and resources.

"Well, leaving a huge, ugly, bloody monster in the middle of a kindergarten isn't exactly a good idea."

Giles nodded in agreement, though his suspicions once again grew, but he set them aside for now.

"We should go." Xander said, stepping over Catherine's body and heading for the door. "Sunnydale PD is the most inccompetent police force in all of creation, but standing over a body with the murder weapon still wouldn't be good."

"Right." Buffy said with a nod, following him out but keeping a bit of distance, seemingly without realizing it.

* * *

A few days later Buffy was getting out of bed, scooping the alarm clock she smashed to pieces into her wastebasket as her mom walked in. "I don't get it." Joyce declared, making her daughter look at her oddly.

"What?" Buffy asked, confused.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking about... where you're coming from, how to relate to you... and I've come to a very simple conclusion: I don't get it." Joyce said as she watched Buffy.

"I'm inscrutable, huh?" Buffy asked slightly sarcastically.

"You're sixteen." Joyce clarified. "I think there's a, a biological imperative whereby I can't understand you because I'm not sixteen."

"Do you ever wish you could be sixteen again?" Buffy asked with interest.

"Oh, that's a frightful notion." The older woman said with a long exhale. "Go through all that again? Not even if it helped me understand you." She smiled at Buffy, who smiled back happily before jumping out of bed and giving her surprised mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, mom." She said brightly before rushing from the room.

Joyce stayed standing still for a moment before letting out an explosive sigh. "I don't get it!"

* * *

A few hours later, at school, Buffy was walking with Amy through the halls, wanting to check on the girl.

"My dad is _so_ impossible!" Amy was saying. "He doesn't ever want me going anywhere! He wants to spend total quantity time together. And I'm, like, 'Dad, I can go out, it's perfectly safe!' But he's got all this guilt about leaving me with my mom. And he's being a total pain."

"You're loving it." Buffy said with a smile.

"Every single minute." Amy said with a small, guilty smile of her own as Cordelia brushed by them. "This Saturday night he wants to stay in and make brownies. Well, the brownies were my idea." They stopped at the trophy case, looking at Catherine's trophy. "Catherine the Great…" Amy said slowly.

"So… What's the official story?" Buffy asked carefully.

Amy let out a long, low breath. "The police found mom's body near some cosmetology shops she liked. They said it was a mugging."

"I see…" Buffy said with a grimace, her mind stuck on what Xander did.

"You did the right thing." Amy surprised Buffy by saying.

"What?" The blonde said, shocked.

"She… she wasn't really a mother, Buffy. Never had been. She would have hurt a lot of people just to be a cheerleader again. She tried to kill you." Amy rubbed her armed hesitantly. "She would have caused a lot of grief if you hadn't stopped her, and she wouldn't have stopped coming after us. It was the best option."

"She was human." Buffy said, coming out with her biggest problem regarding the situation.

"Human's can be just as monstrous as whatever it is you face, Buffy." Amy said softly. "I'm just relieved she's gone."

The two girls were silent for a few minutes before Amy shook herself and spoke in a more upbeat tone. "So, are you still going to try out?"

"Oh, no." Buffy said as they began walking again. "I think I'll find something more sedate to occupy my time. It's gotten a bit too hairy."

"Sounds good to me. I'm not planning on doing anything now that I've got my body back." Amy said with a smile. "I'm thinking of getting fat."

"Y'know, I hear that look's in for spring." Buffy said, smiling back as they walked away from Catherine's trophy, not paying it any more mind.

* * *

"So… how long does this usually take?" Jesse asked as he sat on a gravestone, a flask of holy water in one hand and a large crucifix in another. Willow stood beside him, shifting anxiously from foot to foot, a water pistol in her own hand.

Faith finished spraying holy water on top of a grave using a sprayer and tank usually used for weed killer. "Depends. Could end up waiting a couple of hours. I'd bring a Gameboy or something, but there isn't much light in a graveyard." She said as she set the bottle down and leaned against another headstone, fingering one of her knives.

"So… This is how you and Xander usually hunt?" Buffy said as she checked her nails, a stake in one hand.

"When we know a fledgeling is going to rise, we soak the ground in holy water to weaken it as it comes out before staking it while it's vulnerable." Faith said. "It's become kinda routine, but it's still dangerous. It'll be easier with you here though, and we figured you all should see how we do things."

"Where is Xander, anyway?" Willow asked.

"He said he had a last minute thing to take care of." Faith said with a shrug.

Before anybody could say anything else the dirt on the new grave began to move, bulging lightly. Jesse got off the headstone, holding his crucifix up nervously as Willow aimed the water pistol.

They could hear what sounded like muffled screaming as the vampire pulled itself out of the ground, the hands poking out of the ground smoking slightly from contact with the holy water. Then he managed to get his head out, making the screaming more obvious as he scrambled to get out of the ground and away from the soaked dirt. The teens simply stared as the vamp made his way out, flopping onto the ground a few feet from the soaked portion of earth.

"So… who wants to do the honors?" Faith asked. Buffy sighed when nobody else moved and made her way to the vampire, who glared up at her.

"You… bastards…" He said between pained wheezing.

Buffy rolled her eyes before kneeling beside her quarry and wordlessly staking him, making him turn to dust. Then she and the others whirled around when a gasp came from some nearby bushes, bringing their various weapons up defensively, though Buffy noticed that Faith simply stepped back with a small smirk on her face. Of course, all thoughts left the blonde's head at the person that came out of the bushes. "Mom!?" She cried.

Joyce Summers stumbled out of the greenery, her astonished eyes flicking from the stake in her daughter's hand, to the overturned earth of the freshly broken out of grave, to the pile of ashes that was once a vampire.

As Xander stepped up from behind Joyce said woman locked eyes with her daughter. "What... What is going on!?"

* * *

 _ **Yay, I finally updated!**_

 _ **I meant to have this out weeks ago, but unfortunately I came down with health complications that kept me from being able to write most of the time, and killed my motivation otherwise. I hope to get back into the swing of things soon.**_

 _ **The main part of this chapter, which is the third episode, The Witch, is not really to my liking. I did my best to make it fit with this au, but it was really hackneed and I don't like it.**_

 _ **Still, the entire purpose of this chapter was basically to help set up that cliffie at the end. It's something that I've been planning on for a while. Having Joyce aware of her daughter's lifestyle this early is going to have consequences. I look forward to exploring them.**_

 _ **I think that's everything there is to discuss at the moment. Hope all my American readers had a good Fourth of July and my Canadian readers a good Canada Day.**_

 _ **Don't forget I have a Pat A Ron at dotcom /athanmortis. Every dollar gives you a vote for what I update. Since I've reached a year on Pat A Ron I am doing something special and providing two polls when I put the next one up: One for which current story to update, and one for which new story to start. Hope to see you all on there.**_

 _ **Thanks for reading all. Till next time.**_


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